


Share Something Exciting

by Perpetual Motion (perpetfic)



Category: Marvel Adventures: Avengers
Genre: F/M, Yuletide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-12
Updated: 2011-12-12
Packaged: 2017-10-27 06:36:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/292705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perpetfic/pseuds/Perpetual%20Motion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hank, Janet, and falling in love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Share Something Exciting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dytabytes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dytabytes/gifts).



> I had so much fun writing this. It's rare I get to play with anything so absolutely free of angst as MA: A, and it was a pleasure to get to let Hank and Janet be happy. I hope you enjoy it!

She's all high energy and enthusiasm. It scares him a little at first. He's not used to high-energy people. The only people he really knows are scientists, and they're all quiet and introspective. They mind their own business and do their work and go about their day.

But Janet. She's all wide eyes and quick patter and absolutely curious about everything. "What does this thing do?" she asks one day. Her hair falls across her face in a wave, and Hank is tempted to push it away and kiss the curve of her neck.

"It's a prototype for talking to moths."

She smiles at him. "You really like insects." It's a statement. There's no judgment.

"There's so much we don't know about them," he says. "I think they're the next great scientific breakthrough."

She leans against the counter and taps the dials on the moth device but doesn’t twirl them, doesn’t throw off his calibrations. "What would you do with it? What could moths teach us?"

"I don't know," Hank admits. "That's why I'm so interested."

She beams at him. "I love that."

Hank raises his eyebrows without meaning to. "Do you?"

"You're going to change the world, Henry," she says.

Hank had been Henry for the first fifteen years of his life. He'd never liked it. He'd always thought it made him sound like an old man, but Janet says it with an upward lilt he's never heard, almost swallowing the 'y' and always smiling when she'd done it. He can't imagine her calling him Hank. It feels wrong and rude in a way, like calling a professor by a first name.

"Do you mind that I call you Henry? No one else calls you Henry." She says this one day as she stomps through an empty desert, Hank taking readings on the latest version of her suit.

"No. I like it when you say it," he says, half-distracted by his work. "I think you have a short."

"I don't think that's a problem," she says, laughing at her bad joke. Her laughter makes his whole body vibrate. He leans against her cheek to stay steady.

"Is everything okay? Should I shrink back down?"

"It's a minor problem," he replies, squinting at his computer screen. "I'll fix it once we finish this, and you'll be just fine."

"You take such good care of me, Henry."

He thinks of the house her father owns. It's twenty-seven rooms and nearly overflowing with opulence. He thinks of the men she works with on a regular basis--Captain America, Iron Man, Bruce Banner, Spider-Man, and Wolverine--and he wonders if she's just being nice. He doesn't usually have a confidence problem, but he usually doesn't have Janet Van Dyne paying him compliments.

"Thank you," he says.

"It's so great to work with you. You're really smart, and you really care about saving the world and stuff."

"You think so?"

"Of course!" She tries to turn to look at him, and Hank nearly topples off her shoulder. He catches himself by digging in his heels.

"Sorry!"

"I'm okay," he assures her. "I might need to rig up a harness."

"Could you make one that won't grow with the rest of the suit?" she asks. "I don't want to worry I'll squeeze you to death if I shrink by accident or something."

"I should be able to," Hank replies. "I'll need the suit for a few days."

"I've got a spare to hold me for Avengers stuff," Janet replies. "Just call me when it's ready."

She comes to the lab a week later, on her cellphone and arguing in an undertone as she pushes through the door. "I don't care, Mom," she says as she steps next to Hank, giving him an apologetic smile. "He's boring. I don't want to spend the whole night with a boring person, no matter what kind of contact it could make for the company." She rolls her eyes as her mother replies. "Of course I care about the company, Mom. You're just mad because Mrs. Cutler is your bridge partner, and you want me to like her son just because you like her."

Janet sighs silently and gives Hank a pleading look. He scrambles for a moment before he grabs a lab notebook and throws it to the floor as hard as he can. Janet beams at him. "Whoops! Mom, I have to go! I just knocked over something at the lab, and I have to apologize to Henry. There's paper everywhere. I think I messed up a lot of work."

"Oh, no!" Hank yells, trying to sound distraught. "Janet! All my hard work!"

"Definitely have to go, Mom. Love you!" Janet grimaces as she tries to pull the phone away from her ear. "Fine, I will. Love you! Bye!" She presses the disconnect button harder than necessary and blows out a gust of air before grinning at Hank. "You are wonderful," she says. "That conversation would have gone on for hours."

"Glad to help." Hank crouches down to pick up the lab notebook. "Were you talking about the anniversary banquet? Your father mentioned it to me."

"That's it," Jan replies, leaning against the counter. "It's the only time Mom and I fight. Every year I look forward to going, and every year she comes up with a complete dud she thinks I should go with."

"A dud?" Hank asks. He tries to imagine what kind of man Janet would consider a dud, but he can't get a clear picture. Janet likes everyone as far as Hank can tell.

"They're guys who go backpacking across Europe so they can feel deep," Janet says as she wrinkles her nose. "And they always want to talk about how horrible it is that they were born into money and didn't get to have an 'authentic' life because of it."

"You're not a fan of the argument?"

"It's so whiny. I mean, if it weren't for my parents' money, I couldn't be Giant Girl. I'm not going to pretend like I'm disappointed I have a big enough trust fund I can save the world for a living." Janet shrugs. "They think they're boring, and that makes them boring."

Hank feels himself smile at her assertion. "And you've tested that hypothesis?"

Janet laughs. "I let Mom pick my date three years in a row. It's probably not a proper sample size for a scientist like you, but they were all duds."

"Well, if the experiment showed the same results after three trials, I won't question your methods," Hank replies.

Janet grins at him. "I should take you," she says. "You're always fun to talk to."

"I am?" Hank can feel himself blushing. "I'm just a dorky scientist."

"You're smart, and you're funny, and you let me take up your valuable time for superhero stuff." Janet's eyes light up. "You should totally come with me! Oh, Henry, please be my date and save me from the duds." She squeezes his arm and gives him a pleading look. "Please?"

Hank can't answer for a minute. She is absolutely beautiful, and he really, really wants to kiss her. "I'm not great at dinner parties," he tells her, "But I'm happy to go with you if you want me to."

"Thank you!" Janet throws her arms around his neck and gives him a tight hug. "We don't even have to dance or anything. I'm just glad I won't be bored to tears all night."

"I can dance," Hank says without thinking. "I took ballroom lessons in college."

"Sooo not a dud," Janet tells him as she pulls away. She kisses him on the cheek just before she lets him go. "Really, Henry, thank you."

"It's my pleasure," he says. The blush feels like it's all over his body, and Hank clears his throat as he turns away. "We can handle the details a little later, if you want. I know you're here for your suit."

"I wanted to drop in and see you anyway," Janet replies. She follows behind him as he walks across the lab to a mostly empty workstation. "I haven't seen you all week."

The blush, Hank decides, is definitely going all the way down. "Well, I'm glad to see you too," he manages to get out.

*

He meets her at the party, trying not to fidget as he waits for her near the door. He is in a tux, and his hair is combed, and he's been to these sorts of things before. Being nervous feels completely ridiculous.

"Henry!"

Hank turns towards the voice and can't breathe for a second. Janet has her hair up and is wearing dangling earrings that Hank is certain are actual diamonds. Her dress is bright blue, cut with a sweetheart neckline and a slit that starts just above her knee. It has spaghetti straps, and is--Hank realizes when he returns her hug--backless. "You look beautiful," he tells her.

"You look incredibly handsome," Janet replies. She grins and straightens Hank's bowtie. "Were you waiting long?"

"Just got here a few minutes ago." Hank smiles when Janet turns. "I like the color on you."

"Thank you. I picked it out and sewed it myself."

"I didn't know you sewed."

Janet smoothes a hand over her dress before tucking her hand into the bend of Hank's elbow. "Sometimes I think I want to be a fashion designer, but I'm so busy with the Avengers, I don't really have time."

"I saw you all on the news this morning."

"You should have come," Janet says as they step into the ballroom. "We probably would have gotten a lot less slimy if you'd been there to help."

Hank starts to respond, but there's a squeal from over to his right, and there's suddenly a woman with a questionable blonde dye job shoving Hank to one side and hugging Janet with such force she nearly topples over.

"Oh my god, Janet! I haven't seen you since fashion week!" The blonde pulls away and beams. "I didn't think you'd make it! Eddie said you wouldn't go with him, and I told him there was no way you'd show up solo. I mean, my god, how embarrassing would it be to show up alone?"

"Hi, Tiffy," Janet says when the blonde pauses for a breath. "I have a date. You just bruised him."

Tiffy follows Janet's gaze and raises her eyebrows as she gives Hank a once-over that makes him want to check that his shirt is tucked in. "Who is he?" she asks. Hank isn't sure if she's trying to sound bored or disdainful.

"This is Doctor Hank Pym," Janet says. "He's a very good friend. He makes my suits."

"Your suits? You mean your superhero thing? I still don't know why you do that. I mean, god, you should go backpacking through Europe or--" Tiffy cuts off as Hank bursts out laughing. "What?"

"Nothing." Hank has to swallow down another laugh when he catches Janet's eye. She has her lips pressed together to hold in her own laughter.

"Backpacking through Europe is very authentic," Tiffy continues after giving Hank a withering look. "It helps you better understand the plight of the world and to do something authentic."

"That's...interesting," Hank says, and Janet lets loose a giggle.

"Tiffy, so good to see you," Janet says when Tiffy turns towards her. "But I promised Henry that I'd show him the hotel gardens."

"The gardens? They are so lame. You used to be so much fun, Janet."

"I know," Janet agrees, nodding with such solemnity Hank nearly starts laughing again. "But it's just who I am now."

"Whatever," Tiffy says, waving her hand in dismissal. "I'm going to go tell Eddie you have a date. It'll kill him."

Janet waves as Tiffy walks away and gives Hank an apologetic look. "I only see her at these sorts of things. I meant to warn you about her, but it slipped my mind."

"How do you know her?" Hank asks as he holds out his arm. Janet smiles as she tucks her hand against his elbow again.

"We took riding lessons together when we were younger, and Mom always invited her to all my birthday parties after. She's sweet, honestly, but she can be a little clueless." Janet gestured towards a set of double-doors at the back of the room. "The gardens are that way. I really was planning to show them to you. I figured you could make friends with the butterflies."

"I haven't made a communication device for butterflies."

"Yet," Janet replies, and Hank smiles.

"I think it's a matter of tuning the moth device. I need to shrink down, I think, and spend some time with some caterpillars."

"Like you did with the ants."

"Yeah." Hank holds open the door to the gardens and places his hand on the small of Janet's back as they exit the ballroom.

"You're always so warm," Janet says as the door closes behind them. "I noticed it when you were riding on my shoulder last time."

"Did you?" Hank isn't sure about the proper response to being told he's warm. "Is it...uncomfortable?"

"I like it," Janet says. She leans against Hank as a breeze ruffles the hem of her dress. "I like you, Henry."

"I like you, too," Hank replies. He starts when Janet laughs.

"No, Henry, I like you." Janet turns to face him. The sun's setting behind her, and there's a glow around her face. "You should ask me out to dinner."

"...I should?" Hank raises his eyebrows at Janet's amused expression. "I am a very brilliant scientist," he says. When Janet throws back her head to laugh, he leans down and kisses the side of her neck in precisely the place he'd thought about weeks before in the lab. Janet's laugh turns to a giggle.

"Tickles," she murmurs, pulling at Hank's collar until he straightens up. "And if you're going to kiss me, I'd rather you do it properly."

"I think I can manage."

"You're a very brilliant scientist," Janet says as she stands on his toes to meet him for the kiss. When they pull apart, she presses her thumb against his lip and shows him the lipstick smear. "And now you're marked."

"You don't seem worried."

Janet shrugs, and one of her spaghetti straps slides off her shoulder. "You're the only one who hasn't figured out I like you. Steve's been pestering me for weeks to make a move."

"Ste--you mean Captain America?"

"The one and only."

"I..." Hank shakes his head. "Is he okay with it?"

"He thinks we're well-matched, and Dad likes you, obviously. Mom says you sound nice, and Tony--"

"Wait." Hank held up his hand, and Janet stopped talking, looking at him expectantly. "How long have you been talking about me?"

Janet thought for a moment. "Since you made my first suit, I guess."

"What?" Hank didn't know what to say for a few seconds. He reaches out and slides Janet's strap back on her shoulder. She reaches up for his hand and holds it.

"Are you okay?" Janet asks. She’s smiling, but in a concerned way, and the whole thing clicks into place for Hank. Janet wants to date him. Janet Van Dyne wants to date him. And she’s wanted to do it for awhile.

"I..." Hank shakes his head and felt himself smile. "You really like me that much?"

"Of course! You're smart, and you're interesting, and you let me take up your time with Avengers stuff, and you were willing to come to this party tonight. You're fantastic, Henry."

"Oh." Hank pulls his hand from hers and puts it at her waist, pulling her closer to him. "I'm glad you like me so much. I...I feel the same way about you."

"Good." No hesitation or surprise from her. It makes Hank laugh. He loves her confidence.

"I might be in love with you," he says without thinking.

"Good," Janet says. "Because I might be in love with you, too." She kisses him lightly. "I like smart men."

"Have I mentioned I'm a brilliant scientist?" Hank asks. When Janet throws her head back to laugh, he kisses her, smiling against her mouth.

"I'm so glad you came tonight," Janet says when they pull apart. “If you had said no, I would have found another excuse to make you take me out, but I’m really glad I didn’t have to.”

"Me too." Hank looks at her for a long moment, wondering how he's won such a brilliant, beautiful woman.

"Come on," Janet says, pulling at his hand. Hank expects to be pulled back into the party, but Janet pulls him deeper into the gardens. "I really did want you to see the butterflies."

Hank follows after her, deciding that some things don't need an explanation. Janet wants to be with him, and he wants to be with her, and to hell with how they've gotten here. A good brilliant scientist knows how to pinpoint the end of a useful thought, and Janet is the perfect point for him.


End file.
